Graphic Novels: Comics With A Spine

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Essential Tales of the Zombie review

Essential Tales of the Zombie may sound like a masticating Marvel monster title, but the stars here are more the old-school shambling, work 24/7, in-need-of-a-union, creatures than the revamped George Romero flesh eaters.

That said, of all the Essential books, Zombie is my favorite. Part of its charm lies in the memories of after hours Saturday nights in front of a flickering 13″ black and white television with the rabbit ears pointed just right to catch Count Gore DeVaul broadcasting on UHF 20 out of Washington, D.C. Or sleep overs at my cousins’ near Pittsburgh, Pa., with Chilly Billy serving up a creature feature straight out of Famous Monsters of Filmland.

Though these years seemed to stretch out like a cat in a sunbeam, they were short lived, but still greater in number than Zombie that ran 10 issues with one annual of reprints.

The Essential’s other appeal is the near page-for-page reprint of the originals.

Zombie is a direct result of Stan Lee’s love of magazines and the Comics Code Authority of America established in the 1950s. When the self-governing body imposed a mandate on what was obscene, horror titles either fell in line or by the wayside. Atlas and DC changed format and took the teeth out of terror with anthology books before jumping on board with Hollywood’s newfound BEMs that menaced the mid west.

When Lee reinvented the super hero genre, horror returned to the shadows as mystery men in spandex replaced them.

It was also about this time that Warren Publishing began working outside the CCA’s reach with Creepy and Eerie, black and white magazines giving a nod to the EC titles of a decade before. Others joined the pack and soon horror titles began peppering the magazine racks in legion. As sales increased with lurid covers often more interesting than their contents, comic publishers began to decry the double standard.

The CCA relented in the early 1970s with DC retaining its anthology books and Marvel working with a more serial format. But, not before testing the magazine waters.

Initially there was Dracula Lives and Monsters Unleashed. With a more mature look and higher price tag, stories took on a adult theme. Rather than explore relevant issues, most took a lower road and began showing more skin. For the most part hair and shadows hinted at a pubescent boy’s dreamland, but a gratuitous butt shot was often a favorite every so many pages.

For most of Zombie’s run, the talented Pablo Marco handled artistic chores rendering robust women in issues two through six and returning for issues eight and nine with the help of Ron Wilson.

Steve Gerber scripted most of the stories fresh off scribbling advertising copy for Madison Avenue. Gerber became Marvel’s premiere supernatural writer most recognizable for his work on Son of Satan, Man-Thing and the muck monster’s spin-off Howard the Duck. The author was very verbal in his dislike of the horror genre, but handled the job, taking Zombie’s alter ego Simon Garth from New Orleans coffee magnate to shambling Bill Everett nightmare.

Co-plotted by Gerber and Roy Thomas with layouts by John Buscema and finishes by Tom Palmer, number one begins with a flourish of voodoo ritual with a flashback to Garth’s origin and transformation into the Zombie and back to a monthly quest for revenge and understanding..

A loveless man more intent on fattening his bank account than fulfilling the intentions of his lovelorn Creole secretary or spending time with his daughter, Garth is zombified and the resulting eight issues tell a tale of a man who finds his soul after only losing it.

It ends with a “one-more-day” scenario in which Garth regains his humanity for 24 hours to witness his daughter’s wedding and make verbal amends to his estranged ex-wife.

While Zombie is the head liner, each of the books feature B backups and short fiction and sensationalized info-articles on the occult, zombies and all things creepy and crawly as written by some of Marvel’s more notable mainstays like Chris Claremont and Doug Moench.

One of the real gems is an article by Tony Isabella introducing Brother Voodoo, then set to begin a five-issue run in Strange Tales. For some reason, the storyline involving the Black Talon actually ends in Tales from the Zombie No. 6.

He returns for a one-shot story in No. 10 when Marvel scrambled to fill the missing 30-page Zombie story that was somehow diverted to Guam prior to print.

And, though Zombie deadends there, an advertisement at the back of the book previews issue 11 slated to hit the stands March 11, 1974.

Whatever the reason - though when money fuels the engine, poor sales are usually the culprit - Zombie ended with issue 10.  Garth was laid to rest until last October when Marvel dusted off their moldering monstrosity for a four-issue mini-series.

Five out of five voodoo dolls for this collection that will have you growing one of those Bela Lugosi White Zombie Fu Manchus.

Review by Barry Harter.

ISBN 0-7851-1916-7
First Printing 2006

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And the winners for November 2008…

The contributing editor with the most points earned during the month of November 2008…

mikebo, with 107 points earned!

Winner of last month’s Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween (kindly provided by GNA site sponsor InStockTrades), mikebo has earned himself more collected reading in the form of Jack Kirby’s Galactic Bounty Hunters Volume 1 hardcover, new in shrinkwrap.

And the contributing editor having earned at least one point during the month of November 2008…

mikebo, earning himself a copy of the Spider-Man: India TPB!

Hmm.  I definitely see a pattern.  Anyone wanna step up and give this guy some competition?  :)

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And the winners are…

The contributing editor winning the GNA prize award for October 2008 - GNA contributor mikebo, with 6,268 points earned! Mikebo wins himself a copy of Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween - courtesy GNA site sponsor InStockTrades - along with the Firestorm: The Nuclear Man: Reborn TPB, Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 4: Legacy TPB, the Daredevil DVD, and a bunch of floppy comics thrown in for good measure.

The GNA contributor having earned at least one point during the month of October 2008 - Dylnsdad. Dylnsdad will receive the Hulk: Incredible Marvel Age digest, Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four Volume 2: Fantastic Voyages digest, and The Helmet of Fate trade paperback.

Congrats to the winners! And remember, earning points between now and November 30th will earn your chance to win the next GNA prize package. (What prizes? I hope to announce ‘em very soon!)

To all of the GNA’s contributing editors, reviewers, and contest sponsor InStockTrades, a sincere thank you for helping build the Graphic Novel Archive into what I hope will one day be the definitive graphic novel resource.

Jeff

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Points and reviews

Wanted to let everyone know - publishing your graphic novel review here at the GNA now earns ya a flat 50 MyGNA points. I felt this was only fair to those reviewing graphic novels for the GNA, in combination with our contributing editors.

Pretty much the same review guidelines apply as before:

Submit your review to reviews at graphicnovelarchive.com.
Be sure to include your GNA registered username.
Be sure to include the edition’s ISBN or ISBN-13 with your review.
Submission does not guarantee publication (we’re looking for quality over quantity).
Points will be rewarded with publication.

Thanks all!

Jeff

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Database Stats

Books: 12082 Editions: 12376 Printings: 12558
Creators: 3443 Review Links: 9676 Preview Links: 1193

Points Leaderboard

mikebo 6643
Dylsdad 550
Duster 57
DonkeeKong 18
peeps34 7

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